Anchor silencer and boat protector

ABSTRACT

A floatable resilient body disposed for free movement about an anchor cable such that it floats on the water when the anchor is lowered below the water surface and which is shaped to automatically cooperate with the anchor when it is raised by engaging the anchor and rising with it thus shielding the anchor from other objects such as the boat and/or anchor holder to minimize noise and/or damage that might otherwise arise from anchor contacts with such other objects.

United States Patent 1191 A Jones Dec. 10, 1974 [54] ANCHOR SILENCER AND BOAT 3,401,413 9/1968 Anselmi 114/230 PROTECTOR 3,659,544 5/1972 Goepfrich 114/206 R [76] Inventor: Ralph L. Jones, PO. Box 686, 514

SW. 4th St., Magee, Miss. 39111 [22] Filed: June 6, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 367,409

[52] US. Cl. 114/210 [51] Int. Cl B63b 21/22 [58] Field of Search 114/206 R, 210, 230; 9/8 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,666,934 1/1954 Lcifheit 114/230 3,055,336 9/1962 Cook 114/230 3,094,095 6/1963 Litchfield et a1... 114/206 R 3,252,440 5/1966 Waigle 114/210 3,397,666 8/1968 Gittens 114/210 Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Galen L. Barefoot Attorney, Agent, or FirmCushman, Darby & Cushman [5 7 1 ABSTRACT A floatable resilient body disposed for free movement about an anchor cable such that it floats on the water when the anchor is lowered below the water surface and which is shaped to automatically cooperate with the anchor when it is raised by engaging the anchor and rising with it thus shielding the anchor from other objects such as the boat and/or anchor holder to minimize noise and/0r damage that might otherwise arise from anchor contacts with such other objects.

10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 25 AZ t Z6 chor contacts with other objects such as the boat and- /or an anchor holding structure. Briefly stated, the exemplary embodiment described below comprises an annular float structure shaped to fit over an anchor cable to cushion the impact of the anchor as it is drawn into an anchor attachment device on the boat. Thus, the anchor is prevented from damaging the boat and undesirable noise is simultaneously abated.

In the past, attempts have been made to reduce such noise and/or damage by designing resilient bumpers into the anchor structure itself or into the anchor attachment apparatus. As will be appreciated, this increases the cost and construction complexity for the anchor and/or anchor holding structure. Furthermore, if the bumper is included in the anchor structure itself, it is subject to unpredictable damage while in use below the surface of the water and/or may interfere with the effective function of the anchor structure. On the other hand, if the bumper is incorporated in the anchor attachment device, then there is nothing to protect the boat from damage and/or to minimize noise from anchor-boat contacts while the anchor is being withdrawn from the water into the anchor attachment device beside the boat structure.

Now however, the invention described herein eliminates the undesirable aspects of such prior art bumpers while at the same time being cheap and economical to manufacture and produce. Furthermore, this invention may be easily adapted for use with anchors and/or anchor holders that have not even been previously designed for use therewith thus making these noise and damage abatement features available to users throughout the boating industry with little or no modification being required to their existing equipment.

These desirable objects are obtained with this invention by providing a separate floatable silencer and protector structure which is preferably formed from resilient lightweight materials to make the structure floatable on the surface of the water. The structure is adapted for placement about the usual anchor cable and to permit the anchor cable to move freely therethrough. Accordingly, when the anchor is lowered into the water, the silencer/protector structure of this invention remains on top of the water in a floating position. Accordingly, the silencer/protector structure is not subject to unpredictable underwater damage nor does the structure in anyway hinder or interfere with the intended function of the anchor structure.

When the anchor is withdrawn from the water, it engages the silencer/protector structure of this invention which has been shaped to automatically cooperate with the anchor to rise with the anchor and shield the anchor from other objects such as the boat and/or anchor attachment structure thereby minimizing noise and/or, damage that might otherwise be caused by anchor contacts with such other objects. As can be appreciated, the anchor is thus protected from unwanted noise-damage contact the entire time that it is out of the water.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent'from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, of which: FIG. 1, is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the anchor silencer/protector in combination with an anchor, anchor attachment device and boat;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the exemplary embodiment for the anchor silencer/protector shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3, is a cross sectional view of the exemplary structure shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of the anchor silencer/protector 10 is shown in combination with an anchor 12, anchor holding device 14 which is physically attached to a boat 16 and through which a cable 18 may be withdrawn or retracted by suitable means such as the windless 20. As shown by solid lines in FIG. I, the anchor 12 is almost fully withdrawn from the water and into the holding device 14. As may be observed in FIG. 1, the anchor silencer/protector structure 10 is in contact with the boat 16 during the ascent of the anchor 12 thus preventing noise and/or damage that might otherwise be caused by anchor contacts with the boat and/or any other nearby objects.

The anchor 12 is also shown in a fully withdrawn position by phantom lines in FIG. 1. Here, the anchor silencer/protector structure of this invention is shown as floating on the water 22 with the anchor cable 18 passing therethrough and down to the anchor 12 rest ing on the bottom 24 of the body of water involved. As may be seen, the anchor 12 is not associated with the silencer/protector structure 10 when it is performing its intended function below the surface of the water. At the same time the anchor/protector structure 10 is floating peacefully on the surface of the water 22. Accordingly, the silencer/protector structure 10 does not impede the function of the anchor 12 nor is it subject to unpredictable abuse from underwater structures, etc.

The anchor 12 may be left in the position as shown in FIG. 1, when fully retracted since it is protected by the anchor silencer/protector structure 10 from noise and/or damaging contact with the boat 16. Alternatively, if the holder 14 is properly adapted, the anchor 12 may be more completely retracted into the holder structure 14 such that the anchor silencer/protector structure 12 actually comes into contact with the holding structure 14. In this event, the anchor 12 would again be shielded from noise and/or damaging contact with the attachment structure 14 as should now be apparent.

The exemplary anchor 12 shown in FIG. 1, comprises an upper elongated frusto-conical shank portion 26 having a cable attachment means such as the eye structure 28 disposed at its smaller end. The lower body portion 30 of the anchor 12 is also frusto-conical in shape having its wider end integrally formed with and joined to the wider end of the shank portion 26 as will be appreciated from this description and the drawing in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the exemplary embodiment of the anchor silencer/protector structure 10 is generally circularly or disc shaped having a central opening 32 through which the cable 18 may freely pass. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, the central opening 32 is sized to fit down over the shank portion 26 of the anchor 12. In addition, the underside of the exemplary anchor silencer/protector structure 10 includes a circularly shaped recess 34 which is sized to cooperate with and fit down over the wider end of the body portion 30 of the anchor, as shown more clearly in FIG. 3.

As those in the art will appreciate, the anchor silencer/protector structure could be adapted to cooperate with any other anchor structure in a manner to be determined by the shape and size of the particular anchor structure in question.

Although many floatable somewhat resilient materials would be suitable for use in forming the silencer/- protector structure M9, the preferred exemplary embodiment comprises a polyurethane core manufactured by a conventional injection molding process in a flexible two piece mold shell as will be appreciated in the art.

While only one exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, those in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications and/or adaptations of the exemplary embodiment may be made without in anyway departing from the material teachings of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications and/or adaptations are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for use in conjunction with a boat in water and an anchor attached to the boat for anchoring the boat while in water to a relatively fixed body such as the floor of the body of water by a retractable cable affixed at one end to said anchor and at the other end to said boat, said apparatus comprising:

a floatable body adapted for free movement along and about said cable whereby said body floats on the water when the anchor is lowered below the water surface, and

said floatable body comprises a recessed area for engaging said anchor therein and to automatically cooperate with said anchor when it is raised via the retractable cable by rising with the anchor and shielding the anchor from other objects thereby minimizing noise and/or damage from anchor contacts with said other objects.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said floatable body comprises polyurethane material.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said floatable body has an overall circular shape with a central opening for passing the anchor cable therethrough.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said central opening is sized to fit around an elongated shank portion of said anchor.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the bottom side of said floatable body comprises a circularly shaped recessed area for engaging the body of said anchor therein.

6. Apparatus as in claim 1 in combination with an anchor holder adapted for attachment to said boat and in combination with said anchor.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said anchor comprises:

an upper elongated frusto-conical shank portion with a cable retaining means disposed at its smaller end, and a lower frusto-conical body portion having its wider end integrally formed with and joined to the wider end of said shank portion. 8. Apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said floatable body is disc shaped with a central opening for freely passing the anchor cable therethrough.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said central opening is sized to fit around said shank portion of the anchor.

10. Apparatus for use in conjunction with a boat in water said apparatus being in combination with an anchor attached to the boat by a retractable cable and an anchor holder adapted for attachment to said boat, said apparatus comprising:

a floatable body adapted for free movement along said cable whereby said body floats on the water when the anchor is lowered below the water surface, and said floatable body also being shaped to atuomatically cooperate with said anchor when it is raised via the retractable cable by rising with the anchor and shielding the anchor from other objects thereby minimizing noise and/or damage from anchor contacts with said other objects, wherein said anchor comprises:

an upper elongated frusto-conical shank portion with a cable retaining means disposed at its smaller end, and

a lower frusto-conical body portion having its wider end integrally formed with and joined to the wider end of said shank portion,

wherein said floatable body is disc shaped with a central opening for freely passing the anchor cable therethrough,

wherein said central opening is sized to fit around said shank portion of the anchor, and

wherein said floatable body also comprises a circularly shaped recess sized to fit around the said wider end of the anchor body portion. 

1. Apparatus for use in conjunction with a boat in water and an anchor attached to the boat for anchoring the boat while in water to a relatively fixed body such as the floor of the body of water by a retractable cable affixed at one end to said anchor and at the other end to said boat, said apparatus comprising: a floatable body adapted for free movement along and about said cable whereby said body floats on the water when the anchor is lowered below the water surface, and said floatable body comprises a recessed area for engaging said anchor therein and to automatically cooperate with said anchor when it is raised via the retractable cable by rising with the anchor and shielding the anchor from other objects thereby minimizing noise and/or damage from anchor contacts with said other objects.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said floatable body comprises polyurethane material.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said floatable body has an overall circular shape with a central opening for passing the anchor cable therethrough.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said central opening is sized to fit around an elongated shank portion of said anchor.
 5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the bottom side of said floatable body comprises a circularly shaped recessed area for engaging the body of said anchor therein.
 6. Apparatus as in claim 1 in combination with an anchor holder adapted for attachment to said boat and in combination with said anchor.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said anchor comprises: an upper elongated frusto-conical shank portion with a cable retaining means disposed at its smaller end, and a lower frusto-conical body portion having its wider end integrally formed with and joined to the wider end of said shank portion.
 8. Apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said floatable body is disc shaped with a central opening for freely passing the anchor cable therethrough.
 9. Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said central opening is sized to fit around said shank portion of the anchor.
 10. Apparatus for use in conjunction with a boat in water said apparatus being in combination with an anchor attached to the boat by a retractable cable and an anchor holder adapted for attachment to said boat, said apparatus comprising: a floatable body adapted for free movement along said cable whereby said body floats on the water when the anchor is lowered below the water surface, and said floatable body also being shaped to atuomatically cooperate with said anchor when it is raised via the retractable cable by rising with the anchor and shielding the anchor from other objects thereby minimizing noise and/or damage from anchor contacts with said other objects, wherein said anchor comprises: an upper elongated frusto-conical shank portion with a cable retaining means disposed at its smaller end, and a lower frusto-conical body portion having its wider end integrally formed with and joined to the wider end of said shank pOrtion, wherein said floatable body is disc shaped with a central opening for freely passing the anchor cable therethrough, wherein said central opening is sized to fit around said shank portion of the anchor, and wherein said floatable body also comprises a circularly shaped recess sized to fit around the said wider end of the anchor body portion. 